“Ruth Did It On Hot Dogs & Beer”
I have a sneaking suspicion in my mind, heart and baseball soul that Barry Bonds probably didn’t miss that banner as he jogged out to left field. Kinda tough to miss huh Barry? Obviously the fans in Philly don’t think too highly of Bonds, or the fact that he’s very nearly breaking Ruth’s #2 on the all-time home run list. Add me to that pile of people that don’t want it broken…asterisks or not.
Don’t worry Phillies fans, Bonds went 0-3 on the night, and for now, Ruth’s record is safe. I don’t know about you, but I am personally gonna be really sad and bummed the night that his place in the records books drops from 2 to 3. It just doesn’t seem right, it doesn’t seem right at all.
Hot Dogs & Beer, that’s what Ruth did it on; he had no cocktail of human growth hormones, meals of performance enhancing drugs casually labeled as flaxseed oil. It just doesn’t seem right, and for that, I’m pretty bummed out.
Don’t get me wrong I am no fan of Barry Bonds, that being said what he accomplished is no less amazing in my mind. Ruth played in an era of awful pitching and even more futile athleticism he was a man amongst boys. Hitting a baseball is the single most difficult act in sports. Ruth was amazing at it, and so is Barry Bonds. Barry is playing in an era of watered down pitching, performance enhancing drugs, and smaller ballparks making his feets very similar to those of Babe Ruth. Yes, Babe was likely “cleaner” than Bonds..but Bonds is not alone in his use of performance enhancers, some pitchers and probably half of the major league hitters over the past 15 years have been taking advantage of this MLB loophole. I am not naive enough to think Bonds would have broken these records withought “help” but we are still watching one of the 10 most talented baseball players of all time.
I’ll be watching his at bats until the day he calls it quits, and I won’t even feel guilty.
Wes,
Very well spoken, and very solid argument. I couldn’t agree more that hitting a baseball is the most difficult act in all of sports, an object only 9 inches around, weighing only about 5 ounces, traveling at anywhere from 85-100 miles per hour, curving, sliding, dropping, spinning, being hit by a single piece of wood…nothing is harder. I also agree that both Ruth AND Bonds are great at it. The fact that Bonds is an extremely talented hitter is not debated, not by a long shot, bottom line, you couldn’t pick some average joe off the street, pump him full of HGH or Steroids and put him in a major league lineup expecting him to hit 50 bombs a year.
Also true that Barry is playing in an era of watered down pitching, drugs, and smaller parks…which, as you said, makes the conditions similar to Babe. Where I have trouble, however, is the fact that while the conditions are similar, it’s the “changeable” conditions, i.e. drugs, that are being exploited. If you look at Bonds’ numbers before his “incredible Hulk” body transformation (hell, just look at pictures of him and his body) it is impossible to say that the drugs didn’t do A LOT to get him to where he is today. That is where I get bummed out, and THAT is where it doesn’t seem right.
Bottom line, the tough thing to call is, would we still be watching “one of the 10 most talented baseball players of all time” if the drugs never entered his blood stream? I don’t know, and the fact that we can’t answer that question, makes the fact that Ruth’s 2nd place record is going to fall all the more upsetting to me. It’s the “What if’s” that we Can’t answer that makes me so pissed at drugs.
Great reply Wes, thanks for sparking some interest in this!
T
I feel Pre-Roids Bonds was still a top 10 player. His body transformation did not truly begin until 1999 and in the years leading up to 99′ he was a lock for 30-40 HR’s and 20-40 steals, while playing gold glove OF. He is one of what 3 players in the 500hr 500sb club?
Yes, the performance enhancement has prolonged his career, while vastly enhancing his production but it has by no means made the player.
Just sad that we have to see records fall, which should be exciting times, marred by an epidimec baseball turned its back to.
You know, I think you just hit the nail on the head there buddy. I think my frustration with Bonds, is not just limited to Bonds…it’s with the whole thing, and to be 100% honest, Bonds is just a symptom of a disease and I should be more mad at the disease itself, not the occasional negative symptoms (see also Bonds, McGwire, Canseco, Sosa et. al)that have been affected. You’re right, it IS sad to see records falling marred by this epidemic, as you put it.
It’s sad to see records broken with asterisks, not just broken.
if he was good why would he need the steroids for?